Clinical characteristics of 140 patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 in Wuhan, China

• Published in: Allergy (Copenhagen) Vol. 75; no. 7; pp. 1730 - 1741
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jin-jin, Dong, Xiang, Cao, Yi-yuan, Yuan, Ya-dong, Yang, Yi-bin, Yan, You-qin, Akdis, Cezmi A., Gao, Ya-dong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Allergic diseases; allergy; Asthma; Betacoronavirus - genetics; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; China - epidemiology; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Community-Acquired Infections; Comorbidity; Coronavirus Infections - blood; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - physiopathology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; Cough; COVID-19; Demography; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Electronic medical records; Eosinopenia; eosinophil; Eosinophils; Female; Fever; Hospitalization; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Hypertension - epidemiology; Infections; Laboratories; Leukocytes (eosinophilic); Lung diseases; Lymphocytes; Lymphopenia; Male; Middle Aged; Obstructive lung disease; Pandemics; Patients; Pneumonia, Viral - blood; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - physiopathology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Procalcitonin; risk factor; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Severity of Illness Index; Urticaria; China; Wuhan China; COVID-19; allergy; SARS-CoV-2; eosinophil; risk factor
• ISSN: 0105-4538; 1398-9995; 1398-9995
• DOI: 10.1111/all.14238

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has been widely spread. We aim to investigate the clinical characteristic and allergy status of patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. Methods Electronic medical records including demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data, and radiological materials of 140 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients, with confirmed result of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral infection, were extracted and analyzed. Results An approximately 1:1 ratio of male (50.7%) and female COVID‐19 patients was found, with an overall median age of 57.0 years. All patients were community‐acquired cases. Fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, whereas hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Drug hypersensitivity (11.4%) and urticaria (1.4%) were self‐reported by several patients. Asthma or other allergic diseases were not reported by any of the patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 1.4%) patients and current smokers (1.4%) were rare. Bilateral ground‐glass or patchy opacity (89.6%) was the most common sign of radiological finding. Lymphopenia (75.4%) and eosinopenia (52.9%) were observed in most patients. Blood eosinophil counts correlate positively with lymphocyte counts in severe (r = .486, P < .001) and nonsevere (r = .469, P < .001) patients after hospital admission. Significantly higher levels of D‐dimer, C‐reactive protein, and procalcitonin were associated with severe patients compared to nonsevere patients (all P < .001). Conclusion Detailed clinical investigation of 140 hospitalized COVID‐19 cases suggests eosinopenia together with lymphopenia may be a potential indicator for diagnosis. Allergic diseases, asthma, and COPD are not risk factors for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Older age, high number of comorbidities, and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe patients. Decreased eosinophil count, which was positively correlated with lymphocyte counts, may be a potential biological indicator for diagnosing COVID‐19 patients. Low prevalence of allergic diseases, COPD and patients with smoking history indicated they may not be the predisposing factors of COVID‐19. Elder age, high number of comorbidities and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe patientsz.